The medical industry has adjusted to a myriad of changes with the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing rates of substance use and mental health disorders. On-site at our New Haven, CT campus and virtually at our Palm Springs, FL location has been Roger Ayres, MD. Today, Retreat Behavioral Health welcomes Dr. Roger Ayres as their new Chief Medical Officer.
“Dr. Ayres will be an integral asset to our team; he joins us with an extensive knowledge of the behavioral health field and is able to dissect the root causes of many individuals struggling with mental health and substance use disorders,” said Chief Operating Officer, Kenneth Kosza. “His expertise within his own private practice and organizational leadership skills will benefit our program in numerous ways including the way we strategically approach our relationship with insurance companies.”
Dr. Ayres is a graduate of the Saba University School of Medicine and has earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree. Following his education, he trained with the Yale New Haven Hospital in Adult Psychiatry before joining the New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center to specialize in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He is board certified in Addiction Medicine in addition to Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatry, with 15+ years of private practice experience. He is also knowledgeable in utilization management through his experience working with Retreat insurance partner Magellan Healthcare.
“Dr. Ayres comes to us with expertise in high-quality care for all Behavioral Health diseases as an ABPN board-certified psychiatrist. His experience and compassion for people was observed moments after meeting him,” shares Chief Nursing Officer, Melissa Callahan. “I am excited to be able to work with him to continue to advance Retreat Behavioral Health’s expertise in substance use disorder and mental health diagnoses throughout the continuum of care.”
Dr. Ayres will now oversee the entire medical department at each facility while providing medical vision to ensure that Retreat remains at the forefront of innovative care.
“I am honored to be able to bring both my addiction medicine background along with my psychiatric training in order to make a transformative difference for our patients,” said Roger Ayres, MD. “This is honestly a dream come true for me, as it has been my entire life’s work, and I will work hard to advance Retreat’s mission and goals.”
